


Under the Mistletoe

by Aquata



Category: Rush Hour (TV 2016)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:31:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8881432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquata/pseuds/Aquata
Summary: It's the Christmas party and Carter and Lee get caught under the mistletoe.





	

"I still do not understand why I have to attend," Lee said and Carter groaned at having to have this argument again even as they arrived at the event, the sound of music and laughter drifting through the air towards them.

"Because you can't miss the Christmas party, Lee!" he told him. He'd had to practically drag him out of Didi's house earlier that evening, refusing to accept that he didn't want to come to the police station's Christmas party.

"But..."

"Come on, it'll be fun. There'll be drink and food...and dancing! You ain't seen me dance yet. I've got moves!" He grinned across at Lee and got a doubtful look in response.

"Besides, last year Donovan got drunk and walked into a wall," Carter added gleefully. "Had a black eye for a week. If we're lucky it might happen again!" Lee laughed at that, ducking his head to hide the smile on his face.

"I think I would like that," he said as they rounded the corner, the music getting louder as they neared the source.

"So you'll help me make it happen, right?"

"Carter!" Lee objected.

"Aw come on. We wait 'til he's had a lot to drink then I distract him and you trip him. He'd never suspect you! It's the perfect crime!"

"I am not doing that," Lee told him and Carter pouted at him as they walked through a set of double doors into the party. There were lots of people there already, which Carter put down to Lee's arguments making them late. Loud Christmas songs were playing and people were milling around the festively decorated room, drinks and buffet food in hand. He looked around for Didi, hoping that she might be able to help him get Lee to enjoy this, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

"Well if it isn't Detectives Carter and Lee," Donovan said, appearing from the crowd and looking worryingly smug. "I think this might be the greatest day of my life." He was wearing that self-satisfied smile that always meant he knew something Carter didn't and was going to make fun of him for it.

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Carter said warily.

Donovan just gave him a mock pitying look. He pointed a finger up and Carter followed it to the door frame above his and Lee's heads. Taped to it was a sprig of mistletoe and Carter felt his cheeks heat up instantly at the implication.

"This is karma for the wall plan isn't it?" he said to himself before looking back at Donovan. "Look this isn't-" he started to protest but Donovan cut him off.

"Carter and Lee are under the mistletoe!" he shouted happily and suddenly the whole room's attention was on them. A few of people cheered and someone wolf whistled, which just made Carter's cheeks burn even hotter. He had wanted to kiss Lee for such a long time now, but not like this and not with so many people watching. He glanced at Lee and saw him looking uncomfortable, his eyes flitting around the room.

"Just ignore him, Lee," Carter said, trying to step forwards and get them both out of this but Donovan stepped in his way.

"Come on, Carter. The rules are the rules!" he said, looking far too pleased with the situation.

"Carter?" Lee asked quietly beside him, sounding confused. "I do not understand." And Carter hadn't even considered that Lee might not know about mistletoe. He had been too busy feeling embarrassed about the situation and had assumed that Lee was too. Now he turned to look at him and saw him looking perplexed, shifting awkwardly under the attention of all their colleagues.

"This is stupid. He doesn't even know about mistletoe!" Carter said, gesturing emphatically as he glared at Donovan.

"Then why don't you enlighten him?" Donovan asked with a smirk. Carter looked helplessly across at Lee but he was still looking on in confusion.

"What is mistle-mistletoe?" Lee asked, having trouble with the word. Carter stared at him for a moment, struggling to form the words to explain.

"It's a plant," he sighed eventually, pointing up at the sprig above them. "There's this tradition. People put it up at Christmas and supposedly, if two people are underneath it then..." He trailed off, too embarrassed to continue, avoiding Lee's gaze and fixing his eyes on the floor.

"Then what?" Lee asked bemused.

"Then they're supposed to kiss," Carter said, reluctantly meeting his gaze, and Lee's eyes went wide.

"Oh," he said quietly.

"Go on, kiss him!" someone shouted, although Carter had no idea which of them they were talking to.

"You lucky bastard, Carter!" another person called, sounding like they'd already had rather a few drinks, and a ripple of laughter went around the room followed by good natured cheering and a few whistles.

Carter was still looking at Lee though, watching his suddenly flustered behavior and the look of almost panic that had taken over his face.

"Lee..." he started to say quietly but Lee shook his head, backing away from him.

"I can't..." he said, still shaking his head. "I can't..." And then he turned on his heel and rushed away down the hall, leaving Carter alone in the doorway, staring after him. The crowd behind them fell silent and when Carter turned back, anger welling up inside him, he saw some of them shifting guiltily.

"Hey, we didn't mean to upset him," Donovan said placatingly, anticipating Carter's anger.

"No, you just meant to humiliate him," Carter retorted heatedly before turning his back on them and going in search of Lee.

He'd looked through half the building, checking darkened rooms for any sign of his partner, before he finally made his way outside and found him leaning against the railing, his head bent forward.

"Hey," Carter said, going to stand next to him and resting his elbows on the railing. "You okay?"

Lee nodded silently and Carter tried to gauge his mood, worry taking over from his previous anger as he watched the upset look on Lee's face.

"They shouldn't have pressured you like that," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lee said quietly but Carter knew it for the lie that it was.

"No it's not. They went too far."

"Carter, please..." Lee said, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Carter sighed, giving in, and they stood there in silence, shoulders brushing as they looked out into the night.

"For the record," Carter said after a while. "I'm a _great_ kisser."

Lee laughed at that, the sound bright and sudden after so much silence.

"Did someone actually tell you that or did you just decide it?" he asked, his tone implying that he thought it was the latter.

"Loads of people have told me that," Carter boasted, although it was a complete lie and Lee didn't look like he believed a word of it. They fell into silence again, staring out at the darkened street. Dimly, Carter could still hear the sound of music as the party continued without them. He wondered how many of the people there had already forgotten about the mistletoe incident.

He couldn't help wondering what it would be like to kiss Lee, although he'd be lying if he said it was the first time he'd wondered that. The idea never seemed to be far from his thoughts these days. He glanced across at him, watching his unguarded expression and feeling the sudden urge to press closer, to lean in and finally find out.

He was snapped out of it when Lee looked over at him and caught him staring. As Carter watched, something changed in his expression, a flicker of that earlier distress showing on his face.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Carter offered, hoping that Lee would give up on his stubbornness and just talk to him for once. "If you're upset about-"

"I just didn't want to kiss you because of a stupid Christmas tradition," Lee said quickly, cutting him off. Carter frowned at him, analyzing the words, because it had sounded like Lee had more of an issue with the reason than with actually kissing Carter.

"So just to clarify," he started, his heart speeding up in his chest with sudden nerves. "Was your problem with the 'stupid Christmas tradition' or with kissing me?"

He felt Lee stiffen next to him, saw his eyes go wide and vulnerable in a way that gave Carter hope that he was reading this right. He looked so caught that Carter had to take pity on him.

"Hey, it's okay," Carter told him softly, placing a gentle hand over his and hoping that he was doing the right thing, hoping that maybe, _maybe_...

Lee looked uncertain for a moment, his eyes drifting down to their hands and staying there.

"My problem was with the tradition," he said eventually and Carter's heart skipped a beat in his chest.

"So what you're saying," Carter said, moving ever so slightly closer, turning his body towards Lee and hearing his breath hitch, "is that you might want to kiss me under other circumstances?"

Lee's eyes darted up to meet Carter's, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

"I always want to kiss you," he admitted helplessly and Carter could have danced with joy.

"Would you mind if I kissed you now?" he asked him quietly, his voice hushed as if speaking too loudly would break this moment.

"You would want that?" Lee sounded hazy, his eyes dropping to Carter's mouth and his head dipping slightly to bring them closer together.

"I've wanted it for a really, really long time," Carter confessed, moving forward so that they were breathing the same air, his nose sliding against Lee's as he leaned in. He felt Lee shiver against him and then they were kissing.

It was just as good as he had imagined, the warmth of Lee pressed against him and the taste of him as Carter licked into his mouth. His hands came up to curl in the front of Lee's shirt, holding him close and probably creasing the fabric but he really didn't care about that.

One of Lee's hands was cupping his jaw, his touch warm and gentle as they kissed. Carter leaned into the touch, his whole body thrumming with happiness that he was finally able to kiss Lee, to touch him like this and not have to hide how he felt any longer.

When they finally pulled apart, Carter opened his eyes to find Lee smiling contentedly at him, an affectionate look on his face that Carter had seen before but never realized the true depth of.

"I never thought you would want this too," Lee admitted quietly, dropping his hand from Carter's face and instead linking their fingers together.

"Is that why you freaked out about the mistletoe?" Carter asked, curling his free arm around Lee's waist and holding him close. Lee nodded, looking faintly embarrassed.

"I wanted it to mean something if I kissed you," he said and Carter squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"I wanted that too," he told him and Lee's mouth curled up into a please little smile that had Carter resisting the urge to kiss him. Then he remembered that he didn't have to hide it anymore so he gave into that desire and pressed their mouths together again.

~~~

Carter wasn't sure how long they had been missing when they returned to the party, slipping in quietly and trying not to be too obvious with the happy smiles on their faces. He could barely keep himself from grinning and every inch of him itched to reach out and touch Lee again but he held himself in check as they headed for the buffet table, hands almost brushing between them as they walked.

He was just loading up a plate of food when Donovan appeared at the other end of the table, pouring himself what looked to be another in a long line of drinks. He was a little unsteady on his feet as he made his way along the table, drink in hand, towards them.

"Hey!" he said overly loudly to Lee when he reached them. "We're all reeeally sorry about earlier." There was a definite slur in his words and Carter wondered how long they'd been gone if Donovan had had time to get drunk.

"We sh-shouldn't have tried to make you kiss him," he carried on, pointing an unsteady finger at Carter and swaying slightly. "I mean, who... who'd want to kiss him anyway?" He laughed uproariously at his own words and Carter scowled, wanting to say that actually Lee wanted to kiss him. His opportunity was lost though, because Donovan was already turning away, apology apparently done with and intent on heading back into the crowd.

Carter was just resigning himself to the fact that Donovan would never change but then Lee did the completely unexpected. As Donovan moved past him, he stuck his ankle out, just the quickest flash of movement, sending him stumbling drunkenly. Donovan let out a surprised yelp, his arms wind milling comically as he bumped head first into the wall and to make matters even better, his drink spilled down his front, startlingly bright against his pale shirt.

The area was immediately filled with laughter and teasing comments as Donovan turned to scowl at them all, one hand pressed against his forehead and the other clutching an empty glass.

Carter though only had eyes for Lee, staring at him in complete awe.

"He is an ass," Lee said by way of explanation when he saw Carter watching. He looked completely unapologetic and Carter stared at him a moment longer before collapsing into surprised laughter that quickly turned into hysterical giggles. He laughed until tears filled his eyes, gripping onto Lee's arm for support as his legs turned weak beneath him, laughing helplessly until he could barely breath and his chest ached with it.

"You're amazing," he managed to gasp when he finally started to pull himself together and Lee's responding smile lit up his face, showing his dimples as he grinned back at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Well it's nearly Christmas and I felt the need to write this.
> 
> I don't know if kissing under the mistletoe is a thing in Hong Kong. At any rate, Lee doesn't know about it in this story. Even if it is a thing there too I think Lee could easily be oblivious to it anyway.
> 
> I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think.
> 
> And happy holidays!


End file.
